April 14, 2008

SCSDB News                                             

South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind

  A Palmetto Gold School                                                    For Immediate Release

 Media contacts:

 Sharon Goolsby, Public Information Office: (864) 577-7505

sgoolsby@scsdb.org

 

Katie Rice, Public Information Office:  (864) 577-7506

krice@scsdb.org

 

Note:  For schedule information, call Lou Thomson at 864-237-8942

SPARTANBURG – The home of the two-time national championship boy’s goalball team will host the Eastern Athletic Association for the Blind (EAAB) Championship Goalball Tournament.

            The tournament will be held at the SC School for the Deaf and the Blind (SCSDB) on April 18 – 21, Voss Center gymnasium, 355 Cedar Springs Road, Spartanburg.  The opening boy's game (SCSDB vs. New York) is Friday, April 18 at 6:00 p.m.  The opening girl's game (Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind vs. Overbrook School for the Blind) is Friday, April 18 at 6:30 p.m. 

            We are tremendously excited to be hosting the championship tournament,” said SCSDB’s goalball coach Lou Thomson.  “Our athletes look forward to meeting and competing against other blind athletes from around the east coast!”

            The purpose of EAAB is to enhance life through sports and demonstrate the abilities of individuals who are blind or visually impaired. 

            Goalball is a team sport played around the world by blind and visually impaired athletes.  A team of three athletes on each side of the court aims to launch a ball at speeds of more than 30 mph into the opposing side’s goal on an indoor volleyball-size court.  All athletes are blindfolded to create a state of total blackness.  Four bells encased in a ball the size of a basketball help the athletes track the ball.

            The participating teams are:  SCSDB, Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind, Overbrook School for the Blind, Virginia School for the Deaf, West Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind and New York Institute of Special Education.

The SC Department of Education named SCSDB a Palmetto Gold School for its academic accomplishments and a Red Carpet School for its outstanding customer service.  SCSDB is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, the Conference of Educational Administrators of Schools and Programs for the Deaf and the SC Department of Education.  SCSDB offers programs for preschool, elementary, middle school, high school, sensory multidisabled, vocational and postsecondary education students, as well as a variety of outreach services through regional centers located throughout the state. The main campus is located in Spartanburg. The school’s web site address is www.scsdb.org and its toll-free telephone number is 1-888-447-2732.

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